Pinching the Dollar

I haven't been taking pictures of my couponing hauls in a while. I have been mostly making frequent, small trips to my local stores with Natalie in the stroller. It helps me get my exercise in, Natalie is happier without having to get in and out of the car seat, and it keeps me from splurging very much because I know that I have to push home everything I buy.

This week I wanted to do a free milk deal at Kroger, which is 2 miles away. Though I have walked to Kroger many times, and I have carried milk in the stroller many times, I was a little concerned about making it so far with milk with the temperature in the 80's. So, I drove and bought everything I wanted to get at Kroger in one stop. Then I dropped by CVS and Aldi too (they are a few steps from eachother). So, here you have it: What $24.99 can buy you with a little knowledge and some resources:

Though I got $6 of in-store credit for my CVS purchase, so it was really a net cost of $18.99 ;) a little less than a third of the sales price. Not bad, escpecially with so much produce!

My groceries included:
5 Wolf Chili
4 Cheerios
3 Wholly Salsa
8 Bottles Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner
4 Robitussin Cold Medicine
3 Simplait Yoplait Yogurt
2 Cantelopes
4 Ripe Bananas
3 Green Peppers
2 3-lb Bags Yellow Onions
1 3-ld Bag Gala Apples
1 Pear
1.3 lb Fresh Green Beans
1 Zuccini
1 lb Strawberries
1 Bunch of Kale
1 Eggplant
1 Gallon Milk
1 8-pack Hot Dogs

A little over 6 weeks ago, we came to a house with no food and now, without spending too much money, our cupboards are full, I am struggling to keep our closet from overflowing, and several boxes of storage are lining up in our bedroom corner. We haven't had this much food since last September when LeAnn stocked us up! I am having to face interesting new challenges, such as, how to fit everything in my fridge and how to make sure that I am eating the most soon-to-expire foods first. A dramatic change from the wait-until-there-is-nothing-left-to-eat-but-condiments-before-going-to-buy-more-food approach. I used to struggle to not repeat the same meal twice a week. Now I struggle deciding what to prepare for dinner because there are too many choices!
It's such a blessing.

I've been rubbing off on others, too! Some girls from church that I do aerobics with are interested in learning how to save more on groceries. I have given them some of my extra coupons and sent them out to hit a few great deals lately.
In unrelated news:
Natalie officially has all 4 top incisors! Her 4th middle tooth just came in, for a total of 6 teeth. It's funny how much it changes her smile to have teeth!